Putting my best face forward

So I'm checking Google Analytics for today's hit count and I see my mini ad campaign has tripled my traffic. That's awesome! I just wish I wasn't an idiot.

See that sketch above? Why is it funny? If you're familiar with Precocious, you know Jacob is not likely to sit around in a funk and growl. (The pose was so odd that I really struggled to draw it.) If you're not familiar, the first impression makes you think, "I guess this is the strip's angry character."

So here I am, running ads and bringing in traffic. What is the punchline of the first strip?

"RODDY!"

Because first-time readers know about Roddy being a pest, and that the main cast ignores the outside world. Brilliant. While I appreciate the appropriateness of the visitor influx happening during a storyline about outsiders entering an insular world, have I sacrificed accessibility for metathinking? Man, I hope people stuck around to read the archives.

The weekend strip, the first thing most of the new visitors see, at least featured all eight main kids acting in character. The problem here is that it's more of a catharsis than a punchline. I'm too close to my own work to know if it's a good first impression or not. It better be good, since I don't have a Sunday strip to run. Maybe I should have done that. (Edit: As I found my Sunday templates while locating Bristol Board earlier, I did end up making a Sunday strip. It took until 6am and it's still not colored. Oy.)

What really is making me kick myself, though, is that the candy violence strips will start on Monday. I consider these strips my best work yet, as it's funny and catches the main kids at their best (worst?). Maybe I should have waited.

Maybe I'm just freaking out. The more I read on the Webcomics List forums, and the more I look around Project Wonderful, I realize I know absolutely nothing about being a web cartoonist. I guess that would lead to step three of getting my name out there. I've started promotion. I'm reading the forums more and I've even gotten some posts in. Have I written my cartoon heroes? That was supposed to be the first step, so I could have guidance for my nascent creation. Instead, I play Mr. Antisocial and do it all myself... which naturally leads to a nice pile of rookie mistakes. Everyone stumbles at first, and everyone stumbles HARD, but it's probably wise to have someone around to catch you.

Ahh, if only I wasn't so insane. Then again, it comes with the job, right?